By Ikome Christie-Noella Eposi in Buea
In order to improve the process and provide easy access of information to students who wish to study in France, as well lecturers who want to carry out research in France, the Guichet Unique France (Campus France) was inaugurated last Friday, March 1, 2024 at CURELF, University of Buea.
Inaugurated by the French Ambassador to Cameroon, Thierry Marchand, the Campus France, he explained is the first door for anyone who wishes to get information about French institutions and it is open to everyone.
In his remark, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea, Professor Ngomo Horace Manga noted that the Guichet Unique France which has just been inaugurated will ensure that students who wish to study in France, lecturers who want to carry out research in France will be provided with a formation”.
at inauguration of Guichet Unique France
For the students in particular, the VC stated that the Campus France will enable them to know the qualifications they need to be able to fill the forms to get access into French institutions. “When they come here, all the necessary information will be made available to them. We have trained personnel within these structures who will help the students”.
With respect to lecturers, he added that lecturers, who may want to get information about lecturers in their same areas, may come to the Guichet Unique which will offer them such opportunities.
“Wherever they have difficulties familiarizing themselves with how to start cooperation, they will get it from here. This is just to reinforce the cooperation that has been going on between the University of Buea and French institutions. We already have ongoing co-operation in research, teaching, mobility and so on; both teacher and student mobility. So, it is an ongoing cooperation. This is just an improvement, to raise it to higher heights to ensure that we bring that information close to our students since the information centers were only available in Douala and Yaoundé before now. Now we have this here in Buea which will enable students in other higher institutions of learning get access to the information they want”. Prof. Ngomo averred.
In his intervention, the French Ambassador to Cameroon, Thierry Marchand noted that he is certain that the Guichet Unique France will serve as an important structure to improve the process for the youths to study in France. “It will be an opportunity for our young ones to come here and get information about what it takes if they want to go to France and after that I am sure the entire process will be easy for them. It is open for everybody but particularly students in the educational milieu. I am also here to open room for the evaluation of French language. This is very important because if one needs to have this certificate, you need to go to Douala or Yaoundé but we have made it possible that in few weeks to come one can be able to do that here in Buea. So it is also an improvement for the French embassy to be very close to the youths here in the South West region”.
Talking to the press after the event, the Vice Chancellor revealed that another major upgrade of the place is the re-authorization of the University of Buea to carry out certification tests for the French language. “If you want to study in French institutions, you need to be certified and have a certain level of knowledge of the French language and the equivalent in English is the IELTS and TOEFL. So, we get to understand that Canadian institutions too where the pre-conditions are knowledge of the French language, the TCF, DELF and the others, are certificates which they accept as pre-conditions for admissions”.
If these were not here in Buea, our students will need to go to other centers out of the region. The fact that it’s close to the here is something good and all that is thanks to the efforts/ cooperation that the University of Buea has engaged with the French cooperation services”.
The VC expressed the University of Buea’s gratitude to the French ambassador to Cameroon, successive French ambassadors and Cooperation Directors at the embassy who have ensured that they guide, encourage and provide the facilitation and sometimes funding for the University.
Situated at the Former Alliance Franco-Camerounaise in Buea, the Guichet Unique France in UB is dream come true for many students and lecturers. The event was attended by Deputy Vice-chancellors, the Registrar, Deans and Directors as well as student leaders.